Toy gun for discharging elastic bands



June 2, 1970 L. 5. HOUSE 3,515,387

TOY GUN FOR DISCHARGING ELASTIC BANDS Filed July 26, 1.968

United States Patent O 3,515,387 TOY GUN FOR 'DISCHARGING ELASTIC BANDS Lloyd D. House, RD. 3, Montrose, Pa. 18801 Filed July 26, 1968, Ser. No. 747,962 Int. Cl. F631) 65/00 US. Cl. 273-101 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A toy revolver including a cylinder and barrel member rotatably carried by a pistol type grip. Elastic bands are stretched between circumferentially spaced projections on the cylinder and barrel sections. As the cylinder and barrel member is rotated, a projection on the pistol grip engages succeeding elastic bands, forcing them from the cylinder projections to cause them to be propelled forwardly from the barrel.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention is directed to improvements in toy revolvers (or rifles) for discharging elastic bands.

Toy guns for discharging elastic bands are known; and it is an object of the present application to describe a very simplified, low-cost gun of this type with only two members, i.e., a pistol grip (or stock) and a rotatable cylinder-barrel member, which is easily manufactured, and which, because of its extreme simplicity, is not subject to malfunctions over extended periods of use.

SUMMARY The object set forth above is achieved in a preferred embodiment by providing a pistol grip and a rotatable cylinder-barrel member. The upper central section of the pistol grip has a generally cylindrical opening within which an anchor pin is rotatably received. The anchor pin is press fit into and rotates with the cylinder-barrel member and together with the pistol grip provides a bearing means for the member. The pistol grip further includes a. pair of forwardly projecting sections which partially enclose the upper and lower extremities of the cylinder section and which include juxtaposed intermediate surfaces adapted to loosely engage said upper and lower cylinder extremities to provide stability and additional bearing means for the cylinder-barrel member.

The cylinder and barrel sections each include annularly spaced projections between which elastic bands are stretched. A radially disposed projection on one of the pair of pistol grip sections engages succeeding bands as the cylinder-barrel member is rotated, disengaging them from the cylinder projections to cause them to be propelled forwardly from the barrel projections.

In the preferred embodiment, an additional barrel section is provided. This section is adapted to be press fit on the forward end of the cylinder-barrel member to provide a top revolver with a Buntline appearance which discharges larger elastic bands.

The preferred embodiment of the toy further includes balloons which are readily adapted to form targets at which the bands are directed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is an elevation view of a preferred form of the improved gun;

FIG. 72 is a fragmentary sectional elevation view illustrating the preferred form of the cylinder-barrel member and its mounting on the pistol grip;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary plan view of the preferred embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of the cylin- 3,515,387 Patented June 2, 1970 DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT As seen in FIG. 1, the preferred embodiment of the improved toy gun is in the form of a revolver A which, at the option of the user, can be snub-nosed to propel short elastic bands B or of the Buntline type to propel longer elastic bands. Preferably, it is a part of a complete toy illustrated in FIG. 6 further comprising one or more movable targets in the form of balloons C.

The revolver A includes a supporting structure preferably in the form of a pistol type grip 1 and a rotatable member having a cylinder section 2 and a hollow barrel section 3.

An anchor pin 4 rotatably supported within a bore 5 in the grip 1 is secured to and supports the cylinder section 2. The cylinder section is received between upper and lower projections 7 and 8 on the pistol grip and is shown as further supported for relatively low friction rotation by upper and lower stabilizing ridges 9.

The forward end of the cylinder section has an axial cylindrical projection 10 which receives and supports the hollow barrel section 3. The barrel section is press fit on the projection 10 and a disc 11 of enlarged diameter is held tightly on the projection 10 between the cylinder and barrel sections. 'If desired, the disc 11 and projection 10 can include a conventional key and slot connection to more positively prevent rotation of the disc relative to the barrel and cylinder sections.

The disc 11 has circumferentially spaced projections 1211-1211, each preferably having generally wedge-shaped notches on either side thereof for receiving one end of a respective elastic band B. The band will be received on a respective one of the sections 1411-1411 or a respective section 15a-15n of the projections 12a-12n depending upon the direction in which the cylinder-barrel member is intended for rotation. Typically, the right-handed operator will rotate the member in the opposite direction as the left-handed operator.

Rotation of the cylinder-barrel member is achieved in the preferred embodiment by grooved, knurled or otherwise rough surface on an enlarged diameter portion 20 of the cylinder section 2, which is adapted to be rotated manually by the thumb of an operator.

FIG. 1 also illustrates a barrel extension 3a having a reduced diameter section 16 adapted to be press fit into the bore of the barrel 3 to provide a Buntline type of revolver with which larger elastic bands are used.

Both the barrel 3 and the extension 3a have circumferentially positioned notches 17 and 17a, each adapted to receive one end of an elastic band, the other end being received by one of the sections 14a14n or 15a-15n.

With reference to FIG. 4, the sections 1511-1511 are used when the cylinder-barrel member is rotated clockwise; and sections 14a-14n are used when rotation is counterclockwise.

In either event, a stationary projection 18 on the pistol grip, disposed forwardly of the cylinder section 2 and extending radially inward beyond the sections 14a14n and 15a-15n, engages each elastic band during rotation of the cylinder-barrel member dislodging it from its section such as 14a or 15a. The bands are preferably sized so that they must be stretched almost to the limit at which they break to secure them between the notches 17 or 17a and the sections 14a-14n or 15a-15n. When 'dislodged'by the projection 18, the energy within the stretched band causes it to be propelled forwardly under the direction of the notch 17 or 17a.

It has been found that the energy in the bands is suificient to easily move balloons such as C about a room and to keep it in the air under the force of repeated strikes by the elastic bands. The combination of the gun, bands, and balloons thus provides a unique and interesting toy.

It will be appreciated that any one of a number of conventional revolver cylinder rotating trigger-operated mechanisms can 'be added in well-known manner to make the revolver an automatic. However, the manual rotation of the cylinder-barrel member has been found to be extremely simple and easy after a few minutes of practice, whereby a less costly toy can be provided which does not suffer from potential failures of inexpensive rotating mechanisms.

It will be appreciated that the gun can be implemented in a rifle style having a stock and a rotating cylinderbarrel member.

The gun is preferably, but not necessarily, made of suitable plastic materials adapted by injection molding apparatus. The pistol grip can be formed of one piece, or alternatively, can be made of two mating sections suitably joined thus permitting material savings by making the grip portion hollow. I

The rotatable cylinder-barrel member can be formed in many known ways, utilizing known cost-reducing techniques of the plastics molding art.

While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to a preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing and other changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A toy gun for firing elastic bands comprising a cylinder member, a barrel member, a support member,

said cylinder member being aligned with and fixedly attached to said barrel member so that both of said last mentioned members together are rotatably carried by the support member and including a first set of circumferentially spaced projections positioned toward the forward end of the barrel member and a second set of circumferentially spaced projections positioned rearward of the first set of projections and positioned on the cylinder member,

each projection in the first set and a corresponding projection in the second set being adapted to receive and hold a stretched elastic band therebetween,

a projection on the support member adjacent the second set of projections extending to a position radial- 1y inward of the outermost surfaces of the projections of the second set and being positioned intermediate the projections of the first and second sets so as to engage each stretched elastic band and force it from engagement with its projection in the second set during rotation of the cylinder and barrel members to release the elastic band for propulsion in the forward direction, and

means for rotating the cylinder and barrel members.

2. The toy gun of claim 1 wherein the means for rotating the cylinder and barrel members is in the form of an enlarged diameter portion of the cylinder member adjacent the rear end thereof and includes a rough peripheral surface adapted to be rotated by the thumb of an operator.

3. The toy gun of claim 2 wherein each projection of the second set extends radially outward from the cylinder member and includes arcuate notches on both sides thereof so as to receive and hold an elastic band on either side thereof,

said projection on the support member being adapted to force each elastic band from engagement with said one projection side and the other incident, respectively, to clockwise and counterclockwise rotation of the cylinder and barrel members.

4. The toy gun of claim 3 further comprising a barrel extension adapted to be secured to and held by the barrel member and including a third set of circumferentially spaced projections at the forward end thereof, each for receiving one end of a stretched elastic band, and

the first set of projections being positioned around the periphery of the barrel member parallel to the axis of the member.

5. The toy gun of claim 1 in combination with a plurality of elastic bands adapted to be stretched between the first and second sets of projections and to 'be released by said projection on the support member for propulsion in the forward direction, and

at least one inflatable balloon adapted to serve as a movable target for the elastic bands.

ANTON O. OECHSLE, Primary Examiner W. R. BROWNE, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 124-19, 35, 48 

